Psychology

Psychology allows students to gain an understanding of people and what motivates them. Students engage with real-world issues, applying their psychological knowledge and skills to case studies and experiments – the variation of teaching methods and ways in which students learn the course content make A level psychology an intriguing and engaging course to take.

Students analyse experiments, using a range of inferential statistics. The course allows exploration of multiple higher education options which could, in turn, see them become psychologists, social workers, counsellors or even teachers – the possibilities are endless!

Why study psychology?

Students study A level psychology to grow as independent thinkers and informed and ethically-minded citizens, who understand the role and importance of psychology as one of the key disciplines relevant to understanding how to cope with the fast-paced society we live in today. Students learn many transferrable skills and also gain insight into many aspects of day-to-day life, meaning this qualification can open many doors in multiple different fields of work and higher education.

Qualification	A level Psychology
Awarding body	AQA
Entry requirements	Pass in English and Maths, 5 or more grades at 5+ (this can include English and Maths), grade 5 in Science and at least one writing based subject such as English, History or RS.
Year 12	Approaches in Psychology Social Influence Memory Attachment Psychopathology Biopsychology Research Methods
Year 13	Issues and Debates in Psychology Biopsychology Schizophrenia Aggression Cognition and Development Research Methods: Inferential Statistics
Assessment	Assessments in Psychology takes the form of three written exam papers which will be taken in Year 13: Paper 1 – Introductory topics in Psychology – 2 hrs – 33.3% of final grade Paper 2 – Psychology in Context – 2 hrs – 33.33% of final grade Paper 3 – Issues and Options in Psychology – 2 hrs – 33.33% of final grade

Qualification	A level Psychology
Awarding body	AQA
Year 12	In Year 12, students study a wide range of introductory topics in psychology. Studying the mind and behaviour is a key area of study; in particular we look at social influence, the development of memory and attachment theory. We also study psychopathologies such as schizophrenia, OCD, depression, phobias and addictive behaviour. Everything we know about the brain and psychology is because of research, so we also look at approaches to psychology and research methods to gain an understanding of how the discipline has developed over time.
Year 13	In Year 13 students continue to study specific issues and debates within psychology and research methods. It helps if you have good basic mathematical ability in dealing with research methods investigations. Students develop the ability to make links and comparisons between topics and the research used across topics in order to evaluate them.
Assessment	Assessments in psychology take the form of three written exam papers which will be taken in Year 13: Paper 1 – Introductory topics in Psychology – 2 hrs – 33.33% of final grade Paper 2 – Psychology in Context – 2 hrs – 33.33% of final grade Paper 3 – Issues and Options in Psychology – 2 hrs – 33.33% of final grade

Some topics are really eye-opening as you realise that not everyone in the world is brought up or cared for in the same way.

Year 13 student